Well, I hope you have been enjoying your week so far. I just finished week 2 of summer break. This week I got a few things done around the house, went to see the Incredibles 2-that was fun, enjoyed some time with my mom at a PlantNite event, and had Russian/Ukranian food with friends. My younger daughter just finished her summer school, so I no longer have to worry about that schedule and my husband is off this next week so we plan to get out and about in this wonderful weather. PS if you have Plant Nite in your area, try it I created this cute amethyst bowl and had fun doing it!
*Reminder my book study is based on a study of the same book published in 2017, found here on the blog Teaching Little Miracles.
Goal 2: Teaching Reading Engagement
In this chapter Jennifer Serravallo notes the importance of engagement. In fact, she concludes, based on several studies, that "Research has shown that the amount of time kids spend practicing, on-task, with eyes on print, makes the biggest difference to their success as readers and across content areas". This can become a bit tricky in that students at the third grade level (my students) are learning to find their own reading materials, but at the same time are required to read several types of text in the school setting, many of which they would likely not choose themselves.
In Crystal's blog she notes that she doesn't like book/reading logs. I admit, I'm not a fan either. In my experience, many children (and parents) are dishonest on reading logs. Either they sign off on the log whether or not the reading has been completed or they write down titles that have not been read or may be inappropriate for the reader. (Like I don't notice when they are "reading" books they are not ready for or that are too easy, and it is pretty obvious when a poor reader has a full reading log each week!) But I want to mention that I may have found a solution. I came across these Skill Based Reading Logs from Miss DeCarbo that I plan to try this school year. They focus on a reading skill rather then the number of books or minutes a student reads! Now, why didn't I think of that!? I'm hoping it is the answer to my battle with reading logs!
Some of the strategies I found interesting include:
2.6 Fixing the Fuzziness
As a student reads, they learn to check in with themselves to be sure the reading makes sense. If it doesn't, they need to go back and reread. This seems pretty obvious, but I never really thought of it for the lower level readers. I was much more focused on the word recognition/phonics than on context, which makes it perfect for a third grade reader at any level. In this strategy, she also suggests making a personal connection with the text, encouraging strong comprehension.
2.8 Set a Timed Goal
This strategy focuses on stamina. It incorporates a mental break to help students stay engaged. A break that is appropriate for each student! What really drew me to this strategy was the goal setting visual. I think often we ask the students to read so manny pages or for a certain time period without truly thinking of the students' needs. This anchor chart includes multiple goals.
2.15 Choose Like Books for a Best Fit
Another a-ha moment! This strategy develops book choice. Of course it makes sense to teach students to choose a new book based on a book they enjoyed--I do that all the time! I just never really thought to use the internet tools I use. I frequently recommend books to students based on authors or series that students have already read, but there are so many new books being published that I just can't keep up. Maybe I can even incorporate this into my library by flagging specific books and even having my class write a recommendation. I saw these a few years back, and, after much searching I finally found these speech bubbles where students can write book recommendations to put into your classroom library. So cute! I'm going to make sure to use these this year and highlight a few "lost" books myself!
2.26 Does it Engage Me?
Also emphasizing book choice and focus, is this little strategy. After reading the first page of a book, ask a series of questions to the reader to determine if they would really be interested in the book. Often, in the school library, there are some fabulous books with worn or unappealing covers. Students really do judge a book by its cover (and who am I kidding? so do I!). Books such as The Hardy Boys are so captivating for students, but they've often been in the library for quite some time and don't have the cover appeal as newer titles. This is a different way to approach a quality book.
I had trouble understanding the Go/Stop mat in strategy 2.11. If this strategy was clearer to you, would you please explain it in the comments? Thanks! Do your students need support with engagement? What strategies did you find most appealing?
Goal 3: Supporting Print Work
This goal is all about decoding. I love how Jennifer Saravallo compares the integration of meaning, syntax, and visuals to a juggler with three balls in the air. "It take coordination, mental effort, and strategic action." The reader has to put these skills into a mental tool box for later use while instead focussing on comprehension. As a former second and first grade teacher, these strategies were very familiar to me. However, these two stood out:
3.19 Take the Word Apart, Then Put it Back Together
What I liked most about this strategy was the wording: "readers are like detectives who try to figure out the mystery of a new word." I think just using this phrasing will help students remember the skill!
3.22 Unpacking What it Means to "Sound Right"
By determining the parts of speech of an unknown word, the student is able to try different words that may sound right in the sentence. This kind of thinking synthesizes student learning of grammar and reading and is perfect for the reader that occasionally comes across an unknown word. I believe this strategy would work very well with my third graders.
I also like how Crystal tells here students to "Spot the Vowel" when decoding words. You can find her blog post about Goal 3 here as well as a cute TPR video to help students remember decoding skills. What decoding skills did you find most helpful?
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